We review the best leather items

manbag

Art Prize is a radically open international art competition decided by public vote and expert jury that takes place each fall in Grand Rapids. This is when people from around the world visit Grand Rapids to take in the art and shop/eat locally in downtown Grand Rapids.

Brothers Leather Supply is startup company producing fine leather goods with a flagship store now open in the heart of Downtown, Grand Rapids. If you have time to visit the store I highly recommend it as place to shop for leather bags, briefcases, messenger bags, iPhone cases and accessories.

I was in the market for a new briefcase for work and was looking at high end Hermes and Louis Vuitton briefcases. I was also looking at mid-range Tumi and Coach briefcases and then stumbled on Hidesign briefcases. Most of the briefcases I was looking at retailed for no less than $500 and went up from there. Hidesign offers an amazing price of only $279.99 for a full grain leather briefcase that will fit an 15″ laptop and iPad mini.

The Charles briefcase comes in black or brown full grain vegetable tanned classic leather exterior. The interior is a padded 100% cotton green striped lining. This model has two buckles to close the briefcase and two pockets for accessories such as chargers, batteries, and room for your Smartphone. The interior can fit a 15″ laptop and iPad or tablet.

I have not found a similar briefcase for the price of the Hidesign America Charles briefcase. At $280 this briefcase is in a league of it’s own. I taken this to the office everyday since I got it and it has held up extremely well. Also the full grain leather will only get better with age while cheaper leather will degrade over time.

Why spend thousands of dollars on a brand name when you can get a high quality leather briefcase from Hidesign for less. The Hidesign America Charles is highly fashionable and will fit with either casual or formal attire. The briefcase is ready for all the latest tech devices such as Smartphones, tablets and laptops in one slim briefcase. I have no doubt you will be extremely satisfied with a purchase from Hidesign America.

Hildeståhl is a small and independent company, established 2006 in Sweden. The company shut down in 2012 due to production costs and return recently with online shopping making it easier to cut down on operational cost. In addition the market is ripe for men’s bag as before they were considered an afterthought compared to women’s handbags. Now with men becoming more aware of fashion, all the major luxury brands are marketing to men.

The Hildeståhl Medium bag comes in a brown, vegetable tanned, Italian calf leather that will only look better with age. The Medium bag did come in a super limited edition purple (Dark raspberry sherbet) that ended up selling out quickly. Along with the Medium bag, the company also has the Weekend that is perfect for travel. The two 2015 models is the relaunch of brand after taking a hiatus for a couple of years.

At this price range I see other brands use nylon handles and cotton or microfiber interior. Hildeståhl does not skimped on quality for the sake of profits. The company uses the best quality leather, Finnish reindeer suede lining and braided leather handles. The little details is where Hildeståhl stands out from other bags under a grand.

The Medium Bag comes in a nice dustbag that keeps the bag in pristine shape when in storage. The Hildeståhl Medium bag has no logos on the exterior of the bag and only a printed silver logo on smooth leather inside the bag. The bag includes an adjustable carrying strap for crossbody action. Inside you will find a zipped pocket, two small open pockets and a pen-holder. And the other side of the bag is pocket with zip.

Hildeståhl is all about quality at an affordable price. If I had to guess the price of this bag it would be a couple of thousand dollars. The fact that the Hildeståhl Medium Bag cost less than $500 is something that makes this a must have. I believe every guy needs at least one great bag to add to their wardrobe and make carrying things around a whole lot easier. Hildeståhl Medium Bag is the ultimate man bag for the modern gentleman. Hildeståhl limited runs of luxury bags rival Hermes and Louis Vuitton at a fraction of the cost.